No matter where you live, there’s plenty to do to get your lawn to go from dormant to green as quickly as possible.

“Spring lawn care is very important for a number of reasons,” said David Beaulieu, the landscaping expert for About.com. “First of all, by taking care of the necessary tasks in a correct and timely fashion, you’re setting the tone for landscape maintenance for the next several months. Falling behind would mean having to play catch-up later, which injects unnecessary stress into your life.”

Your turf care program should start with an evaluation to see what underlying issues may be keeping your lawn from reaching its potential, said Jonathan Lee, maintenance manager for Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery in the suburbs of Chicago.

“Soil conditions are the key factor in how your lawn performs so rather than looking at the grass, take a look at sample of your soil,” he said.

What to look for

When inspecting your lawn, keep in mind where the low areas are or areas where drainage is poor, because those spaces where water can collect will harbor myriad turf diseases, Lee said. “Drainage is a very difficult issue.”

The calendar can’t wait when it comes to spring yardwork.

“Certain landscape chores have an expiration date,” Beaulieu said. “Failure to finish them on time has negative ramifications further down the road. In the realm of spring lawn care, perhaps chief among these is laying down a pre-emergent at the right time to keep crabgrass from germinating. What is the right time? The rule of thumb is to undertake this task when the forsythias have stopped blooming in your area and the lilacs are just starting to come into bloom,” from March to May depending on your area of the country.

Other things that can be done in the spring include core aeration, top dressing, power raking, overseeding and additional fertility treatments.

“They have their merits but when it comes to your lawn care program, consult with a reputable professional so they are able to customize the turf program for your property, since a lawns are not the same and should be treated differently,” Lee said.

Care tips

While raking seems like a fall activity, Beaulieu advises people to rake in spring, as well.

“Instead of leaf removal, the object of the chore is thatch removal. Thatch (old grass tissue) won’t kill your grass right away, but it’s a long-term issue that you must keep an eye on,” Beaulieu said.

If grass is matted down, that could be a sign of snow mold.

“Rake the area lightly and monitor it to make sure that the grass fills in there as it normally would as spring progresses,” Beaulieu said.

Page 2 of 2 - Like a really bad haircut, certain spots in the yard may require special attention.

“Springtime is the best time to address patchy or thin areas since we are able to capture the benefit of Mother Nature on our side by providing us with timely rains and great temperatures for growing cool-season grasses like your typical Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass or fescue grasses,” Lee said. “The one critical thing to keep in mind is that grass seed requires soil temperatures above 55 degrees and given that each spring is different, you should monitor soil temperature with a simple probe thermometer that can penetrate the soil about 3-4 inches.”

A last tip: not every lawn needs to be core-aerated or power-raked in the spring, Lee said. If done when not needed or if done poorly altogether, it will result in issues as we enter the summer.

If you are a green thumb do-it-yourself person, remember that most turf care providers and reputable landscape firms are more than happy to offer a consultation free of charge.

“You may be surprised in the fact that the pricing of hiring someone to do the work for you rather than doing all the research and purchasing/applying the materials may not be too far out of reason,” Lee said.